Technology+Report

Code of Ethics In cyberspace there’s a code of ethics that is silently understood. It is designed to protect the online authors as well as those who request their information online. Ethics simply means a moral philosophy (Wikipedia.org) that is adopted by a society. In the cyber society, online, protecting one’s work is important to one’s earnings, according to Kruger (2003). Ethics involves a lot of different factors: **copyrighting** or the right to own a created work such as a book, play, movie, etc; **piracy** which is copying copyrighted programs without legal consent; and **hacking** which is similar to piracy but involves gaining unauthorized access to someone else’s program. All of these factors represent the unethical practices in the moral philosophy of cyber ethics. Citing sources and paying for copies when downloading files or software are morally correct observations of cyber ethics. According to Prensky (2001), Since technology is the primary source by which information is obtained now a days, any and everyone has stepped into an authorship role. People have the ability to create and edit information on the web. This information is also privy to anyone to use in their own research and efforts to interpret information. To that same end, movies, music and images are now accessible quicker and more readily to just about anyone. Having to get in your car and stand in a line at a store to purchase a movie or CD (in its entirety) is far behind us with the Web available at our fingertips (literally). This new, quick and convenient way of life, however, has its abilities to be misused. This is where ethics plays its role. If people are not informed on how to practice those morally correct observations listed above, people who take their time, use their monies and get paid to creatively provide these luxuries to us, will soon find themselves unable to support themselves financially because society’s unethical methods leave the creators jobless. If all of this luxurious technology is expected to assist our students in preparation for the future, it must be assured that teachers have a well thought-through game plan on not only technology implementation but ethics as well. Why? Because according to Hendron (2008) if businesses have turned to the online web to grow and learn, why shouldn’t our students? With teachers being challenged to move more into the roles of facilitators of information rather than givers or experts of information, they will be encouraging their students to research to grow and learn. This will lead students to access and use other people’s texts, images, etc. In order for the understood moral philosophy to protect those creators mentioned earlier, students must be educated on how to be protectors of the information they gather. Students likewise must realize that they are being groomed to one day become creators of information and may use the web as a place to make their living. They will sit on the “creator” side of cyberspace one day, providing music, videos, text and images for consumers. If their own livelihood is to benefit, they must practice the protection found within ethics. Until then, ethics also proves to protect them as the consumer. How? Viruses and computer worms are designed to infect and destroy computers and those who practice unethical ways are susceptible to these viruses. Furthermore, with cyber ethics being backed by our Justice system, unethical practices are starting to have more grave consequences as it falls under law breaking therefore damaging more than a simple system, but a student’s future. - 2 -  References: Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for Educators. Washington, DC: Courtne Burkholder Kruger, R (2003). Discussing cyber ethics with students is critical. Social Studies, 94(4), 188-189. Prensky, M (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part I. On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-9.